YVES RAMETTE (1921-2012) – THE GOLDEN
GALAXY

Yves Ramette was a pupil of Honegger, a prolific
composer and a teacher of organ and counterpoint
at the Schola Cantorum; he was also organist of
the
church of Saint-Ferdinand des Ternes, where these
recordings were made over a 30-year period,
stretching from 1965-93. From this perspective,
the recording is also
an historic one: the late Cavaillé-Coll organ
(1898), clearly labouring
from the results of its ungracious rebuilding by
Beuchet Debierre in
1963, has since been replaced. Ramette’s music is
fascinating and
worthy of greater exposure. Highly rhetorical
with extended use of
monophony and silence, these are dark works which
require a highly
virtuosic player. Fortunately, Ramette was
exactly that. Among the
most interesting pieces, the Toccata et Fugue
in Memoriam Georges Guynemer recalls the exploits and bravery
of a first world war
airman. The Concerto from the Diptych Solum in
Modum is perhaps
the most engaging work; its sheer length (20
minutes, largely repetitive), like some of the other pieces recorded
here, may explain
Ramette’s relative neglect. There is little
information in the booklet,
but rather more (including the scores, either
whole or in part) on an
accompanying website. This is well worth
investigating.